


Two Strangers In The Bright Light

by Katyakora



Series: CWAweek2018 [2]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: CWAweek2018, Crimes & Criminals, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, reversed age difference, teen!Leonard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-17 14:23:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14833940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katyakora/pseuds/Katyakora
Summary: As a teenager, Leonard met a couple of thieves who would change his life. Years later, many things have changed, but not their effect on him.





	Two Strangers In The Bright Light

**Author's Note:**

> Coldwestallen Week Day Two: Crime/Law
> 
> Title from 'Wish I Knew You' by The Revivalists
> 
> Barry and Iris are seven years older than Leonard in this. Leonard is a teenager initially, but no relationship occurs until he is much older.

Leonard hunched a little as he followed his father into the abandoned warehouse. He had learned that it was best to try and remain unnoticed when meeting any of his father's associates, and that had gotten harder ever since his last growth spurt. Lewis seemed to consider the fact that Leonard had grown taller than him to be a personal insult, and it was best not to remind him of it as much as possible.

 

The warehouse was not as abandoned as it appeared, with a small side area set up with a table and various bits of equipment. The were a few people dotted around the room, but it was the pair leaning over blueprints at the table that caught his attention. They both looked quite young, although the man was attempting to compensate for this with the roguish scruff on his chin that added a few years to his visage, but if Leonard had to guess, he'd say they were in their mid-twenties at the most. It was notable because Leonard had seen enough crews to know who was calling the shots, and everyone in the room was deferring to those two despite their age. And the man deferred to the woman, which was also something Leonard hadn't seen often amongst these circles.

 

They were also both gorgeous, and Leonard's stomach was doing flips just looking at them. He knew better than to let it show, but their presence was a distraction that Leonard could ill afford; everything was a test when Lewis brought him on jobs, especially when he wasn't running the crew. As they approached, the man caught sight of them, rising from his hunch over the table, a line forming in his brow as he looked Leonard over. Leonard resisted the urge to fidget.

 

“What the hell is this?” he demanded, his eyes pointedly on Leonard, who hunched in even further.

 

“Said you needed an extra pair of hands,” Lewis explained, as though he had single handedly solved all of their problems. 

 

The woman also straightened and strode around to their side of the table. She crossed her arms and regarded Lewis coldly, clearly unimpressed.

 

“I asked for an experienced infiltrator, not a fucking child,” she snapped. 

 

Lewis’s lip curled slightly into a sneer as he turned his attention to her. Leonard could imagine just how much it chafed Lewis to have to answer to a woman half his age. 

 

“He's my son, Leo. I've been training him for this kind of work since he was old enough to hold a screw driver. He knows what the hell he's doing.”

 

The handsome man immediately scrutinized Leonard and he met his green eyes with a confidence born of the knowledge that he knew this work even better than Lewis did. Not that he had ever been stupid enough to voice that particular truth. The man saw something that made his brow furrow further, but the woman still had her attention on Lewis.

 

“Oh,” she exclaimed brightly, her smile as sharp as a razor, “so this nepotism as well as stupidity?”

 

Lewis sneered down at her, his miniscule patience already crumbling.

 

“Now listen here, you little-”

 

“No, you listen!” she hissed in his face, stepping right into his space without a trace of fear despite being half his size. To Leonard’s surprise, Lewis actually flinched back a little, not expecting her advance. “The only reason you are on this job at all is because Santini doesn’t trust me not to fuck him over. So until he says otherwise, your job is to spy on us and to shut up and do exactly as I say to get the job done. It is not to think, it is not to make decisions, and it sure as hell ain’t dragging a goddamn teenager into my operation. So I suggest you zip it and toe the line, because the next time a word comes out of your mouth that I don’t like, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes and have your boy finish the job for you. Is that understood?”

 

Lewis looked like she’d just shoved a pound of lemons down his throat. He glanced over to the man, who had his hand conspicuously resting at the small of his back, no doubt gripping a hidden weapon. His body was taut with tension but there was an ease to it, as though he could stand at the ready like this for hours until the woman gave him the word.

 

“Crystal,” Lewis grunted reluctantly.

 

“Good,” she responded, her voice once more as sweet as poison. She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and slapped it onto Lewis’s chest. “We need a few things. Be back here in three hours.”

 

Lewis grunted his compliance and clenched the paper in his fist. Leonard shrunk a little further into his shoulders. He really wasn’t looking forward to when Lewis decided to take out his anger over this humiliation on his favourite target. Lewis turned on his heel.

 

“C’mon, boy.”

 

“No, he stays.”

 

Both Leonard and Lewis looked sharply back at the woman. She met Lewis’s gaze evenly. 

 

“You brought him in, so as long as he can handle the work, he’s in. Which means I need to brief him and make sure he’s as good as you say his is. So he stays.” 

 

Lewis looked sorely tempted to argue, but finally growled and just walked out, leaving Leonard alone with the strangers. He shoved his pockets further into his hoodie and kept his eyes trained on the floor. There was no way that this was going to end well. The man stepped forward, all his earlier tension and threatening presence nowhere to be found. He offered a hand.

 

“Leo, right? I’m Barry, this is Iris.”

 

“Leonard,” he corrected firmly, mechanically shaking the other man’s hand, letting go as quickly as was polite.

 

“He speaks,” the woman, Iris, muttered in mock shock. “Well, Leonard, how old are you?”

 

Leonard considered lying, and decided it wasn't worth the potential consequences.

 

“Fifteen.”

 

Both Barry and Iris made unhappy faces at that.

 

“My dad was telling the truth, though. Been helping him since I was seven. I can spot security sensors, memorise guard routes, pick locks and I haven't yet found a security system I couldn't disarm.”

 

Leonard hadn't noticed how his demeanor had shifted as he defended himself until he was done speaking. He'd straightened up to his full height and squared his shoulders, his chin lifted and his eyes meeting theirs with a challenge. As soon as he noticed, he shrunk back in on himself.

 

“No, sweetie, stand up straight. I'm not gonna punish you just for being proud of yourself.” Iris’s words were clearly well-meaning and intended to be supportive, a far cry from the harsh treatment his father had received. But Leonard couldn't help but flinch at the memory of all the times he had been punished for a little pride. The couple shared a loaded look, and Barry stepped forward, an arm behind Leonard to herd him but thankfully not touching him.

 

“Come on, let's test those skills of yours against the new Drakon model. Cisco got his hands on a prototype, and we need two separate consoles deactivated in a 30 second time frame.”

 

Leonard allowed himself to be lead towards the long-haired young man tinkering at a bench into the corner. He didn't miss the way Iris watched him with a thoughtful, concerned look before slipping out of the room. Somehow, Leonard felt like this job was going to be more of a minefield than usual. 

 

Barry quickly distracted him, however, standing close as he explained the system to Leonard, so he couldn't escape the light, teasing scent of Barry's cologne, nor the shift of his muscles beneath his shirt as he pointed things out. Leonard cursed his wayward thoughts as he fought to pay attention. It was a miracle that he absorbed anything at all, his treacherous hormones running riot, but to his pride, he managed to figure out the system by the third try. Barry was obviously impressed, and Leonard sincerely hoped the other man hadn’t noticed just how much he’d blushed at the praise. When he managed it inside the 30 second time-frame by the seventh try, even the tech guy, Cisco, was impressed. Leonard hadn’t noticed Iris drift over as he worked, and blushed to the tips of his ears when she added her own praise. Thankfully, no one commented. 

 

Barry was clearly a talker. He and Cisco kept up a conversation while Leonard practised. When the subject of sci fi came up, Leonard perked up a little, and he soon found himself drawn into a friendly debate about the best Star Trek episodes. Barry and Cisco were open and friendly, and their chatter somehow put Leonard at ease when normally he’d be strung as tightly as a wire alone in the presence of an unknown crew. The nerves came back when Iris called him over to go over the plan and take his measurements, apparently to make sure the spare worker’s uniform would fit. The plan briefing was clear and succinct, and she had him repeat it back to make sure there was no misunderstandings. It was a good plan, with plenty of contingencies, and Leonard recited it with confidence. She’d smiled proudly when he was done, eliciting another blush, and asked him to hold his arms out to be measured. 

 

She was a talker too, asking questions about Leonard’s school and family. He stammered out vague answers, butterflies whipping up a storm in his belly as she stood close to measure him. When she made a stupid pun about stealing diamonds making him too ‘cool’ for school, he couldn’t suppress his surprised snort of laughter. She immediately honed in on his weakness for puns, and soon they were both a giggling mess as they tossed them back and forth.

 

The sound of a door slamming brought him hurtling back to reality, his laughter strangled in his throat. Lewis was back. Immediately, the happy-go-lucky, friendly crew closed off, becoming once more the cold, intimidating professionals they’d been to begin with. Yet this time Leonard realised all their cold disdain was directed at his father. Leonard returned to his hunched position, automatically going to return to his father’s side. Only, after a step, he realised he was boxed in. On one side was the table, perpendicular to the wall. The only way Leonard could get to Lewis would require him to awkwardly push past Iris, Barry and Cisco. He wasn’t sure if it was deliberate, but he found he wasn’t exactly unhappy about the forced separation.

 

Iris gathered them around the table and began the final briefing. Leonard soon realised that the others were deliberately blocking Lewis from moving to Leonard’s side of the table. Even the woman who arrived just after Lewis conveniently placed herself between Lewis and Cisco. Caitlin was just as cold and aloof to Lewis as the others, yet offered Leonard a small, tight smile when she caught his eye. Leonard frowned, feeling like there was something deeper going on here that he was missing. As soon as the final run down was done, Barry directed Leonard to follow him to a van, insisting that the leave immediately. The plan just so happened to naturally keep Lewis and Leonard separated until it was over. Leonard felt like he should be suspicious, but mostly he was relieved. He would get a chance to work without the impediment of his father’s scrutiny and reckless approach. 

 

Barry parked the van down the street from their target, and the pair moved to the back to change into their fake uniforms. Leonard tried to be quick, to show as little skin as possible, but he knew it had been futile when he turned to see Barry looking at him sadly.

 

“He did that to you, didn’t he?” Barry asked softly. Leonard scowled, not needing Barry to elaborate on who or what he was referring to.

 

“Don’t know what you’re talking back,” he denied automatically, “I’m clumsy.”

 

“No, you’re not,” Barry stated firmly. “If you were, you’d be a terrible thief, and Lewis would never have risked embarrassing himself by bringing you.”

 

Leonard had no argument for that logic, because it was entirely true. “Whatever, it’s none of your business.”

 

“A good crew looks out for each other. Has each other’s backs,” said Barry. Leonard sneered at that.

 

“So you’re gonna look out for my dad, then?” he drawled, knowing just how much the other’s despised his father’s presence. Iris’s threat from earlier still rang in Leonard’s ears.

 

“Tonight? Yes, I absolutely will,” Barry responded guilelessly. “As long as he’s on my crew, he’s my responsibility.”

 

Leonard studied Barry for a long moment, a little shocked by his admittance.

 

“He won’t do the same for you,” he blurted out, the confession feeling like a betrayal. Barry just smiled sadly at him.

 

“ I know. But that’s the price of working with people you didn’t choose. All we can do is lead by example, and hope everyone else’s efforts are enough to mitigate one bad apple.” His gaze turned assessing. “What about you, Leonard? Will you have our backs?”

 

That was easy. Leonard had figured out by watching his father’s associates that having a crew that looked out for each other and worked as a unit was far more likely to succeed than a nest of vipers only out for themselves. 

 

“Yeah. I’ll watch your back as long as you watch mine.”

 

Barry smiled, big and wide and Leonard hated the way it made his heart pound.

  
  


The heist itself went well. Not perfectly, but the plan had enough contingencies that Lewis never got the chance to resort to his typical ‘shoot your way out’ method. Barry insisted on high five-ing Leonard when they managed to deactivate both consoles in less than 20 seconds. The vault also had more in it than they’d expected, making the entire crew very happy at the prospect of an increased cut. Even Leonard, who knew his father would never actually let him have his cut, was happy knowing that Lewis would likely be in a good mood for a while after this. Maybe even good enough to indulge Lisa and get her the ice skates that she wanted, instead of throwing a bottle at her like the last time she’d asked.

 

When the crew parted ways, the others all said goodbye to Leonard, something none of the other crews had ever done. Iris even hugged him briefly.

 

“It’ll get better soon,” she’d whispered into his ear, and Leonard had been too stunned to answer. 

 

He discovered what she’d meant a few days later. The Santini’s were unimpressed when they somehow learned that the vault’s bounty had been significantly higher than they’d thought, yet their man had only delivered slightly more than the original amount they’d expected. Leonard never knew exactly what happened to him, only that one day his dad didn’t come home. After two weeks, Lisa’s mother filed a missing person’s report, but even Leonard could see she was relieved when nothing came of it. A part of him was always worried that the Santinis would come back around one day, looking to him, or worse, Lisa, to pay their father’s debts. But they never came, apparently viewing whatever they’d done to Lewis as payment enough.

 

Leonard knew exactly who was responsible for tipping off the Santinis. And every time he caught sight of the still-healing wound on his sister’s shoulder, he wished he’d met them sooner.

 

_ Seven years later… _

 

At twenty two, Leonard was no longer a gangly collection of too-long limbs and hunched shoulders. He’d grown into his height, his frame filling out, his back straight and proud. He’d honed his skills to a fine point, and gained quite the reputation as an up and comer in Central’s underbelly, along with Mick as his loyal partner. With Mick at his side, Leonard felt like there was no job they couldn’t pull off.

 

Except right now. Right now, his knee was bouncing with nerves beneath the table, his fingers fidgeting restlessly as he waited. Saints & Sinners bustled around him, but he could still see Mick rolling his eyes at him from the bar. Mick had picked up on his nerves almost immediately, and had not stopped teasing him about it. Leonard appreciated the teasing over Mick doubting his ability to do his job under this kind of pressure, like Leonard was currently doubting himself. He forcibly reminded himself that he was not an awkward teenager anymore, he was a sophisticated and mature adult who was entirely capable of being a professional.

 

“Sorry we’re late,” a female voice apologised, familiar even after all these years. “I swear, sometimes it’s like Barry saves up all his punctuality for jobs.”

 

Iris and Barry West-Allen slid into the booth opposite him, looking as beautiful as the day he’d met them. Iris’s hair was different and Barry was clean-shaven, but they could have stepped directly out of his memories otherwise.

 

“We all have our quirks,” Leonard answered smoothly. “Barry. Iris. Been a long time.”

 

“That it has. I barely recognise you,” Barry agreed, pride in his smile as he looked Leonard over. 

 

“Growing up’ll do that to you,” Leonard agreed, “‘though, I’d swear you two haven’t aged a day.” He gestured to Barry’s clean-shaven face. “In fact, I think you went back a few years.”

 

Iris laughed, while Barry self-consciously put a hand on his chin and muttered something about ‘damned baby-face’.

 

“I’d forgotten about your beard,” Iris giggled. 

 

“You and I both know that that beard was the only reason anyone took me seriously back then,” Barry defended.

 

“I never said it was a bad look,” Leonard pointed out, and perhaps it was Leonard’s imagination, but Barry’s cheeks seemed to get a little pink at that.

 

“Very true,” Iris agreed, her eyes sparkling. “So, Leonard, I hear you’re doing quite well for yourself these days?”

 

“You could say that,” he admitted modestly, “it helps to have a good crew that you can trust to watch your back.”

 

Barry’s smile widened into a proud grin. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

 

“On the subject of crews,” Leonard continued, suppressing the urge to smile at their pride, “I’ve got a big job planned, and it’s a little more than my current crew can handle. I looking for some extra hands that I know are skilled and that I can trust.” Trust was hard to come by in their business. But if there was anyone Leonard could trust, it was the kind of people who went out on a limb for an abused kid they’d just met. Leonard knew exactly how dangerous a game they’d been playing when they accused his father of screwing over the Santinis.

 

Barry and Iris shared a look, an entire conversation happening with their eyes.

 

“We’re in,” Iris announced, “how bout we discuss the details somewhere a little more private?”

 

In the days leading up to the heist, Leonard was a nervous wreck on the inside. Externally, he maintained a long-perfected professional air. It wasn’t the first time he’d been nervous before a job, or had to fight for the respect of older crew members. But this was a different thing entirely. Iris and Barry had inspired him to be a better level of thief, to build the kind of reputation that gave him the luxury of trust. They had helped save him from his father’s abuse. They were his heroes, and now he was leading them in a heist. It felt surreal, and his nerves were not helped at all by the crush they’d sparked when he was a teenager returning with brutal force. Leonard had to remind himself often that they were married. To each other. And quite frankly that didn’t always help, because then his mutinous brain would just start thinking about them together. And they didn’t make it easy; always standing close, smiling at him, Iris taking great pleasure in making his professional mask crack with a well-placed pun. Mick was convinced that they were flirting with Leonard, and would tease him about it when they were alone. Leonard denied it, knowing they were just being friendly, but that didn’t stop a part of him from indulging a little wishful thinking.

 

The heist itself went off without a hitch. They were all grinning when they returned to the safehouse, still riding the adrenaline even as Leonard carefully split the take evenly for everyone. The rest of the crew made their way out with their loot, raucously discussing their plans to celebrate for the night, until only Barry and Iris remained. 

 

“Not gonna join the others for celebratory drinks?” Iris asked, casually leaning against the table where Leonard had counted everything out. 

 

“They’ll feel like they can’t really let loose if I go,” Leonard explained, leaning back in his chair to look up at her, “I’ve ordered them to lay low and they’ll resent me if they don’t get the chance to splurge just a little. Mick’ll make sure they don’t go too far.”

 

“Sounds like a smart system,” Barry approved, moving to Leonard’s other side and copying Iris’s posture.

 

“I thought so. Why aren’t you two joining them?” Leonard asked curiously. “Got other plans on how to celebrate?”

 

“Well, you could say that. See, Mick told us you have a rule about not sleeping with your crew,” Barry explained baldly, as Iris slid onto Leonard’s lap. His eyes widened and his breathing quickened as she leaned forward, her arms winding around his neck.

 

“And as of now, we’re not on your crew anymore,” she whispered in his ear. “We happen to think that could be something even more worth celebrating.”

 

“I s-suppose it, it could be,” Leonard stuttered, looking to Barry and finding him watching them together with blatant heat in his eyes.

 

She leaned back a little and Leonard knew he looked like a deer in the headlights, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“Did we read this right? If not, just say and we’ll back off,” Iris assured him gently.

 

‘No, right, you read it right, I’m just surprised,” he managed to say, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them with disbelief.

 

“Really? We’ve been flirting with you all week,” Barry pointed out.

 

Leonard blushed, a mean feat considering the heat of Iris’s weight on his lap was having quite a lot of effect on him already.

 

“I thought you were just being friendly,” he muttered.

 

“If you want, we can get much friendlier,” Iris purred, shifting her weight and making him inhale sharply.

 

“I could stand to get a little friendlier,” Leonard agreed breathlessly. 

 

Barry chuckled as he leaned forward around Iris and stole a kiss, which began gentle but slowly got deeper as Leonard gained confidence. Barry pulled away and Iris claimed a kiss of her own, chasing the taste of Barry in Leonard’s mouth. Leonard’s hands slipped down to grip her hips and she pressed against him unashamedly. 

 

“Bed, we should find a bed,” Barry babbled dazedly.

 

Leonard stood with Iris still pressed against him, carrying her while Barry pressed against his back, his hands roaming over both of them as he kissed and bit at Leonard’s neck, making him groan. Somehow, Leonard navigated to the bedroom he’d claimed in that particular safehouse. The three of them didn’t emerge until the middle of the following day, tired and satisfied and drawn by the smell of frying bacon.

 

In the kitchen they found Mick, cooking bacon and eggs with a shit-eating grin on his face. 

 

“Told you,” he said to Leonard, his gaze pointedly flicking over Barry’s hickeys and Iris wearing Leonard’s shirt, radiating smugness.

 

“Shut up,” Leonard muttered as he took a seat at the counter.

 

Barry chuckled and wrapped his arms around Leonard from behind and pressed a kiss to his neck. Iris walked up to Mick and got on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, making the arsonist blink in surprise.

 

“Thanks for the advice, Mick,” she said sincerely.

 

“Oh. Don’t mention it; I was just gettin’ sick of watching him pine.” 

 

“I was not pining! And exactly what kind of advice do you give?”

 

Mick smirked at him as he placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of him. “Wait ‘til the heist is done and jump you ‘cause you’ll never make a move otherwise.”

 

“That is terrible advice.”

 

“It worked, didn’t it?”

 

“Very well,” Iris purred, taking the seat next to Leonard and placing a warm hand on his thigh.

 

“Definitely,” Barry agreed. 

 

Leonard pouted, yet ended up stealing Mick a truck full of fireworks as a thank you. In an uncharacteristic show of restraint, Mick waited until their one year anniversary to let them off. Leonard was pretty sure it was just his way of rubbing it in that he’d been right.


End file.
